Brian Stanley TD delighted as Laois backs Catherine Connolly for President

Independent TD Brian Stanley was in buoyant mood at the Presidential Election Count Centre at Scoil Chriost Ri in Portlaoise this morning. 

He revealed that the woman who is likely to be the next President of Ireland had initially been hesitant about running. He said he encouraged her to run. 

“It was important that there was a left voice, a progressive left voice, somebody who believes in Irish neutrality, somebody who believes in social justice, somebody who believes in a united Ireland.”  said Dep Stanley. 

“I decided to fully back her and I told her that if she went forward that I would put it to our group here in Laois and we would back her which we done in July,” he explained. 

Dep Stanley said the reaction on the doors had been very positive.

“I am looking at Castletown and Mountrath. I would have canvassed in Mountrath and it certainly is tallying what we were getting on the doors. Those doors we were getting an answer on were overwhelmingly for her, which surprised me, the fact that it was so strong,” he said. 

According to Dep Stanley, “it came down to a clear choice. You had a clear choice here between somebody from I would call the established conservative parties, Fianna Fail and Fine Gael, and from the broad left. “

“I think it is a good day's work. The Government, the Seanad and the Dail is already controlled by Fianna Fail and Fine Gael and I think it is a good thing to have a President that will represent an alternative and I think she will manage that very well,” he said. 

Dep Stanley said he had been confident of Catherine Connolly’s abilities from the beginning. 

“I watched her when she was Leas Cheann Comhairle… she would have done very well in terms of keeping the Dail running smoothly. Building a good working relationship with the Government parties and the opposition,” he said.  

“That convinced me that as President she will keep it in between the ditches, but will be a strong voice for ordinary working people in Ireland and particularly peace internationally and neutrality and for a united Ireland. Never more important. That’s why I think this is crucial,” he said.  

When asked if he believed the vote heralded the beginning of a new united left political alliance he said:  “You would hope so. Some of them came very late in the day. Locally there was no–one else  out till last weekend as far as we could figure out.”  However, he questioned how much the parties were “buying into it’. 

Dep Stanley said “there is a need for the coming together of the people who believe in the key pillars. Social justice, the  reunification of the territory and peace internationally.” 

If Catherine Connolly is elected it may cause some disruption for Dep Stanley in the Dail. “We are in the same technical group. Obviously she is going to be a loss out of that if she gets elected. I have pondered that. It is a great victory if she pulls this off and it looks like she is going to pull if off,” he said.

He was speaking before he made the journey to Dublin Castle.